Mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



No. 880,804. PATBNTED PEB. 25, 1908.

` J. HOLLENBURGER & 0, WILL.

MAIL BAG 0810888 AND DLLLVBRLR.

APPLIOATIN FILED 00T. 17, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET '1.

f1/vittima@ UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JOSEPH HOLLENBURGER AND CHARLES WILL, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

MAIL-BAG- .CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25. 1908.

Application filed October 17. 1907. Serial No. 397.890.

l of which the following is a specication.

the wheels ofI in the claims appendedhereto.

This invention relates to appliances wherebymail bags can be deliveredi'rom and to the mail car of a moving train and stations along the railroad overwhich the train passes, in a simple and effective manner and without danger of the mail bags and contents being damaged or destroyed.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be comparatively easy and inexpensive to install and perate, thoroughly reliable and efiicient in use, and convenient to manipuate. Y A Qfurther object of the invention is the provision of a mail bag catching and deliver.-

ing device mounted on t email car in such a osition as to be pro'ec d from either door or catchin an'ddeliveiing bags at either side, and W e the train is going in either direction.

A further object of the invention is to employ a bag suspendinme'ans on the mail car which is adapted to. e released by suitable means arranged along the track to engage thevdev'ice and cause the bag to be dropped, there being a net or other suitable means disposed along the track to catch the bag to prevent damageto the contents of the latter or the /bag frombeing thrown under the train. v

' Another object of the invention is to provide bag-supporting devices at the various.

.mailing stations along the road whereby the bag catchers of the cars can pick up the mail bags while the trainis moving in either direction.

With these objects in view 'and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of arts which will beA more fully described j ereinafter and set forth with particularity In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates onelof the embodiments of the/ invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a mail car showing the mail ba catching and delivering device thereon, an'

the necessary appliance at a mailing station along the road. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the. upper portion of the car showing the mail bag catching and suspending device thereon. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the said device. Fig. 4 is an lend view thereof.l Fig.

- 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the road for releasing the mail bag suspending means on the mail cars. Fig.v 6 is a perspective view of one of the stationary mail bag supports at one of the mailing stations. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the mail car showing the diflerent'adjustments of the mail bag catching and delivering device.

Similar reference characters are employed out the several views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a mail car of ordinary construction that is prorelatively stationary abutments along the 'I5 to designate corresponding parts through- 'v pending apparatus C. At each station E where mail bags are to be delivered or taken-f up, there are planted four posts D arranged two together at one point and the others a. suitable distance on opposite sides thereof, and'on the two middle posts is supported an abutment or device E which controls the releasing of the mail bag F held by theapparatus' C. On the -outermost posts D are lL- shaped arms G having their lower extremities g bent in opposite directions for the purpose of permitting the mail bag H to be taken ofi' the same by the train moving 1n either direction. Disposed along-the track is a catch net I of any suitable construction for the purpose of receivingjthe mail bags as they are dropped from the train, thereby preventing the contents of the bag from be coming broken or damaged or the bag from rolling under the train.

The apparatus C consists of a horizontally projecting member 1, Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive,

Which is slidablffmounted in a head 2 that y is rotatably secured to the lower vend 4oi? a vertical rod or shaft 3, the said shaft being secured in a socket 4 attached to the roof of the car. To rigidly holdvv the shaft in ver- 11g' tical position, itis braced by means of'the braces 5- secured to the-sides of, the car and *connected with the collar 6 on the shaft. .The bar orv member 1 is providedwith'a bore 7- at-'one endl into whichis mounted a slid-v able element 8 thatcarries on its outer eig-- tremity a wheel 9 that is adapted. to engage with the device atv the -mailing stations when the bar 1 is projected from either 'can w' door for dropping or catching 'a bag. Sus-- pended on the bar l'isapair oflazy tongslO aving jaws ll'ywhich grip a mail bag and,

- the weight of-the Aba serves to cause the jawsto tightly grip te bag. The link 12;

15 ofthe tongs is attached to a fixed pivot 13, while the link 14 is connected at 15 withthe sliding velement 8 so that the.l movement of the element'causes the tongs to beopened'or closed. On the solid portion of the bar 1 are teeth 16 forming a rack b ar, and with these teethumesh a pinion v17 mounted on the head .2. The pinion is turned by ya crank shaft 18 suitably con'nected therewith and journaled in the head, and by turning the crank shaft, the bar can be projected out of the car doorway, or returned. -Toll pick up the mailbags .from the stations along the road, thev outer'extremity of the bar `is provided with oppositely extending fingers- 19, as shown in Fig; 3. v Normally, t e parts lof the apparatus C arein the positionl shownl in Fig. 2, and when it is desired to deposit the bag at any station and to receive the bag therefrom, the mail clerk places a'ba'gso that the gathered top thereof-can be gripped Vbetween the jaws 11 of the lazy tongs, and when held in this position, theY longitudinally movable element 8 is moved outwardlyfso as to close the Atongs and grip the bag. the bag is to be dropped from the right side of the car, Fig. 2, it is merely necessary to turn the crank shaft 18 1n a direction to project the bar l -outwardly v through the right door. When,however, it/ is desired to ldeliver the bag at the left side, the bar is turned halfway around on the shaft 3, while the bar is in itscentral posi tion, as shown in Fig. 2, sothat it can be 'projected through the left door. The barll 1s inclined to one side or the other, according to the direction in which the train isv traveling so as to rest against the frame of the door and thus withstand the shock caused by the wheel 9 striking the device E andl by thev iin ers 19 picking up the bag. `By reference to ig; 7, it will be observed that ywhen the bar 41 vis in the full' line position, it is set to :deliver ory pick up bags while the train is going in the direction of the arrow, and the dotted lines illustrate thev three other positions which the car can occupy for delivering and catching bags lfrom-either side and going in either direction, When the wheel strikesl the device E, the element 8 is ushed in- 65 wardly so that the lazy tongs open and shown in Fig. 5, which springs are mounted' on the bolts 22 that 'support the device E on -the posts D., The device E isfcrmed with a concaved surface 23,"and this surface may be faced with a metal strip 24 when the body.

of the device is made of wood, and by -shaping thedevice in this manner, it will o crate on the mail bag suspending device of t e car, irrespective of the direction of motion of the latter. n

. It will be'observed that the member 1 of the device C'is shown in Fig. 1,v as inclined forwardlyor toward the direction of travel of the train, this being done vto better illustrate the position and arra emeiitof the parts. .In ractice, however,- e member 1 willbe inc ined rearwardly and bear on the door frame at fwhen the train is traveling in the direction indicated-bythe arrow.

From the fore omg description, taken in connectionfwith t e accompanying drawings, l

the advantagesof the construction and of the method of o erationwill be readil alpparent to those s illed in the art to whic t e invention appertai'ns, and while we have described the lprinciple of operation of the in vention, together with the apparatus which 'We n'ow considerto be the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that the al paratus shown is merely illustrative,

and t at such changes may be' made when" desired, as are withinthe scope'of the claims. Having thus described thelinvention, what we'claim isi-- h Y 1. The combination of a mail car provided with oppositely disposed doorways, withv a mail bag catching and deliverin device mountedon the car to be'projecte through either doorway thereof, and means supporting the entire device on the roof of thecar.

. 2. The combination vof a mail car provided with oppositely arranged doorwafs, with a mail bag catching and delivering levice pivotally ymounted on and suspen ed roofv of the car in aposition to be projected out of either doorwa 3. The combinationl of a mail car rovided with doorways, with mail bag catc ing and delivering device, said device consisting of a horizontally movable carrying member mounted to be projected out of either doorway, and means for movably supporting the member on and close to the roof of the car, and means for projecting'and retracting said member.- l l 4. The combination of a mail car provided" with doorways, with mail bag catc in g and from the" delivering device, said device consisting of a pivot on the top of the car for supporting the' member, and means for roj ecting one end of the member through eit er doorway. A y 6. The combination of a mail car having a doorway; a horizontally movable member adapted to be projected out of the doorway, a pivotal mounting for the member, and a rack and pinion device for projecting and retracting said member.

7. The combination of a mail car, with a supporting member projecting therefrom, a pair of lazy tongs on the member for releasably holding a mail bag, and stationary devices for actuating the lazy tongs to release a bag.

` device, the combination ofa supporting mem- In'a mail bag catching, and deliverin,g\y

9. rPhe combination of a supporting member adapted to be projected and retracted, mail bag vcatchin and suspending devices thereon, a movab e element controlling the suspending deviceand supported on the member, and a yielding abutment with which the element engages `tor actuating the bagsuspending devices.

14). The combination of a mail-car, a bagsuspending device thereon comprising a means which when released permits the bag,

to drop, a stationary means controlling the device for releasing the bag, and a stationary net ada ted-to catch the dropped bag.

1l. Tie combination of amail car havin oppositely-disposed doorways, with a mai bag catching and delivering device suspended from the ceiling of the c ar and including a member adapted to be projected through either door, and a mounting for the member for permittingv the latter to bear against either side of each doorway for holding the member in operative position.

In testimony whereof we ai'lix our signa tures in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH HOLLENBURGER. CHARLES WILL. Witnesses:

H. W.. KAISER, J. D. BRESNER. 

